Water heaters are used in many situations including, but not limited to, the RV and marine industry. In the past, previous ways of controlling gas modulation and temperature have been used. One such previous method includes a pressure diaphragm in the water stream of the water heater that mechanically modulates the gas valve through changes in water pressure. However, the pressure diaphragm can be very sensitive to variations in line pressure of water and can be unreliable in consistent temperature control, which can be a problem in mobile applications having various water pressure sources. Additionally, the pressure diaphragm often includes complex assemblies that increase the risk of leaking as well as adds to potential maintenance issues and the cost of tooling.
In other scenarios, electronic gas modulation has been used, which may use electronic sensors and thermistors in addition to microprocessors to monitor incoming water temperature as well as to process information and electrically adjust the gas valve. Due to the types of parts involved in electronic gas modulation, electronic gas modulation may be very expensive and difficult to service due to its complexity.
While a variety of gas modulation and temperature control valves have been made and used, it is believed that no one prior to the inventor(s) has made or used an invention as described herein.
The drawings are not intended to be limiting in any way, and it is contemplated that various embodiments of the invention may be carried out in a variety of other ways, including those not necessarily depicted in the drawings. The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements shown.